Eggplant and Raspberry Salad

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EggplantGrilled eggplant and feta salad with toasted pine nuts – yum
Spinach, raspberry and feta salad – light and sweet
Then I thought what if I combine two?
Firstly, I love the colour. I eat with my eyes first! Then eggplant cooked in Deonjang and spices smells so exotic. Massaged raw kale and fragrant coriander adds freshness to it. This salad just looks and smells so inviting. It worked for me, but you be the judge 🙂

Eggplant2Ingredients

1 cup of diced eggplant
30g fetta cheese
1 cup of massaged kale leaves
a bunch of coriander leaves
1/2 cup of rasberries
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon of fennel seeds
1 teaspoon of all spice
1/2 teaspoon of Deonjang or miso paste
1 teaspoon of coconut oil
salt and pepper to taste

For pomegranate vinaigrette

1 teaspoon of pomegranate molasses or pomegranate juice
1 teaspoon of red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon of maple syrup
1 teaspoon of olive oil
ground pepper

Cook diced eggplant in a hot pan with coconut oil. Combine Deonjang paste, spices and a bit of water in a small bowl. When the eggplants are browned outside, add the sauce and simmer for 10-15 minutes until cooked. Let it cool on the side. Tear off kale and coriander leaves in a mixing bowl. Add cooked eggplant and raspberries in and gently toss with a half of the vinaigrette. Transfer to the plate, scatter the crumbled feta cheese and drizzle the rest of the vinaigrette. You can add lightly toasted pine nuts or pecans on top for crunch.

Posted in: Gluten Free, Lunch, My recipes, salads

Forbidden Rice is New Black

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Forbidden rice salad
I’ve written about red rice before. Today it is black wild rice (forbidden rice). According to Chinese sources, the name “Forbidden Rice” came from the fact that it was eaten only by royalty likely comes from the term 御稻 (yù dào) or imperial rice.

First of all, here is nutrition information of the different rice colours.

Polished white rice – contains 6.8 protein, 1.2 iron, 0.5 zinc and 0.6 fiber.
Brown rice – contains 7.9 protein, 2.2 iron, 0.5 zinc and 2.8 fiber
Purple rice – 8.3 protein, 3.9 iron, 2.2 zinc and 1.4 fiber.
Red rice – 7.0 protein, 5.5 iron, 3.3 zinc and 2.0 fiber.
Black rice – 8.5 protein, 3.5 iron, zero zinc and 4.9 fiber.

It is well-known that brown rice is a healthier alternative to white. The difference between the two is that white rice is devoid of bran, which is full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Like brown rice, black rice has similar nutrient levels and higher amounts of antioxidants. It is also a source of fiber and minerals, including iron. A 100 gram serving of black rice has 8.5 grams of protein, 3.5 milligrams of iron and 4.9 grams of fiber. Compared to white, brown and red rices, black rice has the highest amount of protein and double the fiber of brown rice. Black rice turns a deep purple when cooked and is packed with anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are phytochemicals found in deep blue and purple foods, which are thought to fight chronic disease such as cancer and heart disease. Another kind of antioxidant found in black rice bran is thought to be responsible for lowering bad cholesterol levels, helping prevent heart disease.

My mum used to cook wild rice with white and brown rice since the coloured rice can be quite tough and hard to digest for kids or if you are not used to it. So I recommend doing the same if you are the first timer cooking wild rice. I cook it in the same way as other rice but with more water for a little longer. Bring one cup of wild rice and three cups of water to the boil and then simmer on low heat for 40 minutes. Stir occasionally making sure it doesn’t burn at the bottom. My tip is once the rice is cooked, turn off the heat and then leave it for 5-10 minutes with a lid on. I find this process makes the rice moist and fluffy. You can make nice rice salads, pilaf, paella, sushi rolls, rice pudding, soup, baked rice casserole, etc. Choice is yours!
wild rice salad

Ingredients

For the forbidden rice salad
1 cup of cooked wild rice
1 carrot grated
1 cup of raw green beans chopped
a teaspoon of cayenne pepper
a teaspoon of cumin
a handful of pepitas
a stick of feta cheese
Himalayan salt and pepper to taste

For tahini dressing
a teaspoon of tahini paste
a teaspoon of white rice vinegar
a squeeze of lemon
a teaspoon of e.v.o.o
a teaspoon of sesame seeds

Posted in: Dinner, Gluten Free, Lunch, My recipes, salads, Vegetarian

GF Ravioli and Raw Zucchini Ribbon Salad

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GF ravioli
Believe or not, I’ve never ordered ravioli or any other pasta dishes at Italian restaurant. I remember when I went out with work people for Christmas party a few years ago. We all went to this very popular Italian restaurant in town. Well some people ordered pizza, pasta, lasagna, you know all the traditional Italian foods. I ordered a bowl of salad (a safe option for being gluten-sensitive) and Daniel ordered a steak. Everyone laughed at us not ordering any Italian foods at Italian restaurant. I still don’t order those although they offer a gluten-free option. It tastes quite heavy to me. When I was browsing some food blogs, I came across this blog called “Dolly and Oatmeal” based in NY. Her blog has beautiful photographs and simple recipes that I fell in love. This ravioli is inspired by her.

You should all have some leftover rice papers in your pantry. Well I do! If you don’t, you can get them from any Asian groceries or in the Asian food aisle at the local supermarket. Handling rice papers can be a little bit tricky because it gets sticky and messy when you dip it in water too long. So you might need to play with it and practice until you get the hang of it. I like making rice paper rolls using fresh crisp vegetables and now making this gluten free ravioli! You can put any kind of fillings such as pesto, cheese, tofu, etc. I had a jar of chilli-capsicum chutney made up in the fridge, so decided to try with it. The bright red colour actually went so well with the green zucchini salad.

GF Ravioli1
Ingredients

For the ravioli
Rice papers

Fillings
Dried chilli
Char grilled capsicum
a teaspoon of coconut oil
a teaspoon of smoked paprika
a teaspoon of cardamom powder
Himalayan salt

For the salad
1 zucchini
1 cup of arugula leaves
1 cup of sliced celery
a teaspoon of fennel seeds

Maple vinaigrette
a table spoon of coconut vinegar
a teaspoon of e.v.o.o
a teaspoon of maple syrup
a teaspoon of cayenne pepper
a squeeze of orange juice
salt and pepper to taste

Dip the rice paper in water until soft and set it on the plate. Put dollops of chutney fillings on the rice paper. Dip the second piece of rice paper in water and then put it over the bottom piece. Get rid of air bubbles using a knife to make little cuts and create a seal around the filling. You might want to use a bit of oil in your finger to handle the rice papers since it can be quite sticky. Use a cookie cutter or a sharp knife to cut the ravioli. For the salad, I simply mixed ribboned zucchini, sliced celery, arugula leaves and fennel seeds. Then tossed with the maple vinaigrette. A beautiful fresh summer salad! You can make this to impress your loved ones or it is a perfect entree on a special day.

Posted in: Dinner, Gluten Free, Lunch, salads, Vegetarian

Raw Rainbow Salad and Irish Soda Bread

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Bread-making classDaniel and I went to “Less is More” festival in Peppermint Grove yesterday to attend a bread-making class. I was pretty excited about that because I make my own bread at home, but never really learned how to do properly. The lady explained about types of yeast, other ingredients for bread-making, history of the bread, how to make a loaf of bread using a bread maker and a recipe for Irish soda bread. Surprisingly class was so full although it was early Saturday morning. Beautiful smell of the bread from the oven made us so hungry. We went down to Kakulas Sister’s in Fremantle after the class to get some flour, beans, nuts and grains since I was running low on those in my pantry. I love that little place, full of exotic stuff that you cannot find at the supermarkets. I had to try out the printed recipe I got from her. So here it is. Irish soda bread!

Rainbow SaladIrish Soda Bread

100g country grain flour
100g plain flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon of baking soda
half cup of milk
half cup of olive oil

Mix all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Stir well making sure there is no lumps. Then add wet ingredients into the bowl. Baking soda and vinegar will do their thing and bubbles will appear. Then pour the mixture into a baking tin and put it in the preheated oven (200) for 20-30 minutes until all cooked through.

Rainbow Salad2Rainbow Salad

1 carrot
1/2 zucchini
1 cup of green beans
1 cup of shredded green cabbage
1/2 beetroot
a bunch of coriander
a teaspoon of sesame seeds

For dressing
a teaspoon of Dijon mustard
a teaspoon of tahini paste
a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
a teaspoon of maple syrup
a teaspoon of basil oil
salt and pepper to taste

Wash all veggies and cut into strips. I used a peeler for a carrot and zucchini. For the dressing, mix tahini, mustard, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, basil oil, salt and pepper. Combine with the salads just before serve.

Posted in: Baking, Lunch, My recipes, salads, Vegetarian

Watermelon and Feta Salad

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platter

It has been so hot in Perth over 35 degrees almost every day and until next week. I used to love watermelon in Summer. We used to go camping up on the mountains with my family in humid and hot days. Nothing beats the cool rainforest to avoid the heat. Bringing a whole watermelon was a must. Sometimes you don’t even need a knife. Just hit it against a rock and break like that. A big wedge each. We smile like a wedge of the watermelon. So refreshing and rehydrating snack! Then after a quick bite we go back to playing in water and hunter games. That’s my memory of this summer fruit.

Simple dressing made of lemon juice, olive oil and sea salt brings up the full flavour and sweetness of the watermelon. Don’t forget salty and earthy feta cheese and bitter arugula leaves compliment each other as well. I am in lust! We had a platter and this salad for lunch today.

Ingredients

1 cup of watermelon
1 stick of feta cheese
1 cup of arugula leaves
1 teaspoon of e.v.o.o
a splash of balsamic vinegar
a squeeze of lemon juice
sea salt

Posted in: Gluten Free, My recipes, salads, Vegetarian